The Keeper
by NonChalantWriter
Summary: Percy has concluded that he is indeed gay. But he won't let this get in the way of his studies...so he keeps it a secret. Then something happens in him...a feeling so immense and hard to ignore that it threatens to defeat him. Percy/Oliver *Takes place during Harry's first year*
1. The Start

Percy Weasley hugged his mother goodbye as his father patted him on the back. He gently pulled away from his mother who prolonged the hug unnecessarily.

"Have a great year! My boy the prefect!" his mom said giving him a warm kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you mother! I'll write often." he said and turned away from her to board the train. As he got on he could hear his mother seizing Ron and going through the same actions she had just done with him. When he got on the train he headed straight to the prefect's compartment which this year, he was allowed to enter. He felta sense of pride. All his hard work was definitely paying off.

He took a seat and just as quickly as his sense of pride had arrived, a more dominant sense loneliness enveloped him. He had no one to talk to because he didn't really have any friends; he spent most of his time studying. Of course, he had what he considered acquaintances, but none whom he could truly call a good 'friend.' _Oh well,_ he thought, _I've gone through four years like this. Bring on another._

This year, Percy feared, might be the most difficult yet. He had shared his summer with Penelope Clearwater in secret, and they had gotten intimate. They didn't do anything too extreme but they did snog quite a lot. It was then that Percy ended any sort of relationship with Penelope because he felt that something didn't feel quite right. He found out that he was unmistakably gay. He could never dream of telling a soul. And if it came to it, he would live the rest of his life hiding his sexual identity because up to this point, he has never had any feelings towards any boy.

He felt sad about Penelope though, because when he broke up with her via owl, she was extremely offended. Their summer romance had consisted of nothing but snogging and second base, and the academic school year meant that their relationship would become something more due to the fact that they couldn't spend their whole time snogging at Hogwarts. Penelope Clearwater, clearly, was looking forward to this part of the relationship. So when she received that owl from Percy two weeks before the start of term her excitement turned to devastation as she read Percy's final words: "_We're not right for each other. Please forgive me."_

Percy hadn't noticed that the train was already moving and he had missed his chance to wave goodbye to his mother as he always did. This meant he'd have to write her a letter tonight and be awfully sweet with her. Just then a seventh year girl from Ravenclaw who sported a Head Girl badge walked in and looked about the room before settling her eyes on Percy.

"You there, I haven't seen you patrol the carts. Walk around, get used to the idea of looking for trouble makers, will ya?" she said in a friendly tone.

"Er-sorry. I'll go right now." Percy said instantly and stood up.

"No worries! You're going to have a great year! I remember when I became a prefect, of course I'm head girl now, but I still remember how good it felt to be a prefect. This is my last year at Hogwarts! I'm so excited, and sad about it at the same time. Oh, I'm sorry!" the Ravenclaw girl said as she realized that she was talking too much and Percy was being too polite to say anything.

"Well, I'll be going now. Nice talking to you." Percy said with a smile that was supposed to reassure the girl that he wasn't bothered by her. He walked with forced authority down the hallway looking into compartments. _I'll get the hang of it,_ he thought. And surely enough, only five minutes had passed before Percy's walk looked naturally in control. But after all, he was meant to be a leader.

As he looked into the compartments he saw many faces that he recognized and many faces that he didn't. First years, and people that had managed to fly under his radar. He looked into one of the compartments and saw his two brothers, Fred and George, sitting with a bunch of other people who Percy recognized as being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Among them Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet , and Oliver Wood who looked very excited about something.

He watched the lot for a little bit unaware that he was being very obvious. They all seemed to be very interested in something Oliver was saying. _Probably some nonsense about Quidditch,_ he thought. Just then his two brothers turned and acknowledged his presence which prompted the whole compartment to follow their gaze. With all eyes on him he stood at his tallest and pretended he had barely arrived. Fred got up from his seat and opened the compartment door.

"What's the matter? You miss your baby brothers already?" he asked teasingly.

"As you know, George ("I'm Fred!")- right, Fred, I'm a prefect now and I was simply doing my responsibilities of making sure that everything stays in order." he said in a professional voice.

"We promise our older brother that we won't be naughty boys!" George taunted from his seat.

"Yeah and if we are, we won't resist if you give us a good spanking." Fred added and the whole compartment broke into laughter. This made Percy rather upset; he didn't like the idea of his brothers undermining his authority.

Percy opened his mouth to speak but he didn't say a word because just then a very loud "_Ribbit! Ribbit!_" emitted from Oliver Wood.

"Pardon me?" Percy asked looking rather shocked. Oliver Wood looked up at him with the same level of confusion.

"It wasn't me" he said to Percy and when he saw the look of suspicion on his face added, "I promise."

"Blimey! Under your seat, Oliver!" bellowed Fred and George as an unpleasant looking toad made an appearance. Oliver picked it up and Alicia Spinnet recoiled at the sight of it.

"You don't think this is the toad that those two first years were talking about, do ya?" asked Oliver to his friends.

"It most definitely is! You better hurry and give it to them." Alicia said too eagerly.

"Some first years were looking for it, you say? Well give it here," Percy said and stretched his hand towards Oliver, "if I hurry hopefully I can catch them going door to door."

"Er…okay." Oliver said holding the toad out to him. Oliver's hands where cupped as if trying to catch raindrops and the toad was sitting in the middle. Percy reached for it but just as he did so the toad leaped out his hands and onto the floor near Alicia's feet who jumped onto her seat and almost on top of Angelina.

The whole compartment, including Percy, were so amused by Alicia's reaction that it was only after the incident calmed that Percy realized his hand was in Oliver's where the toad had been. The two boys went red and Percy pulled his hand back.

"Sorry about that. Well, I'd best be going now. I'm a prefect you know." and with that Percy hastily exited the compartment and left the toad behind.

************Please! PLEASE PLEASE! Leave your feedback and all that stuff..it really motivates to keep on writing!***********


	2. Chapter 2

On Sunday morning, Percy found himself headed towards professor McGonagall's class to get extra practice on Transfiguration. He found that as the years progressed, it was getting ever difficult to change one thing into another. But being the over achiever that he is, he took it a sign that he needed to study religiously.

He walked in and found that professor McGonagall was with another student who he recognized as Hermione Granger. To his surprise, she was pointing her wand at a very small object, obviously attempting a transfiguration spell. He remembered having a conversation with her the first day about how she was interested in transfiguration.

"Not to worry, Ms. Granger. You'll get it soon enough. I can see a tiny bit of change around the edges. Yes, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall said addressing him.

"Hello professor, I'm here…well, to do exactly what she's doing." Percy said awkwardly.

"Certainly my boy! Certainly!" she said excitedly. This was rather out of character for professor McGonagall, but he didn't question it. Not until it had been an hour and he took a break. Hermione and himself were in an unspoken competition to see who could transform their object first. Percy looked towards McGonagall's desk who was happily grading papers.

"Having a good day professor?" Percy asked.

"Wonderful day!" she responded. She was smiling.

"May we know why professor?" asked Hermione joining the conversation.

"Remember Potter's little incident with the broomstick, Ms. Granger?" asked McGonagall. Hermione nodded and asked, "Has he been get expelled?"

"What? Heavens no! In fact, I've made him Gryffindor's new seeker!" she beamed when she saw the student's shocked faces.

"Potter? But isn't Potter in…" started Percy but he trailed off.

"Yes, he's in his first year. Making him the youngest seeker in a century."

"So that's why you're in a such a good mood." Percy thought aloud.

"Yes, it means that Gryffindor has a great chance of winning this year. The skill that boy demonstrates. Oh! And Oliver Wood is captain, such a skilled boy he is. We'll definitely give Slytherin a run for their money." McGonagall said.

He went back to his foot stool and attempted to transform it into a puppy. Hermione, determined to achieve transfiguration before Percy, went back her match and attempted to change it into a needle.

_Oliver Wood as captain of the Gryffindor team? He has a tough job in front him_, Percy thought. _Training a first year who barely knows how to fly a broom, and then a whole team. I like to see how this will turn out. What is Oliver Wood's position anyway? He's a…no can't be a seeker, that's Harry. Can't be a beater, Fred and George. A keeper? Yup, Oliver's a Keeper. He stops quaffles from…_

Just then he realized that he was still trying to transform his foot stool, and it was changing! Only it didn't change into an adorable puppy.

"Well, it's no pup." McGonagall said from her desk.

Hemione picked up the quaffle that Percy had produced and handed it to Percy who just stared on in disbelief.

Almost instantly, the news of what he had done had spread throughout the whole school. And everywhere that he turned someone would make a quaffle joke. The people who insisted on reminding him were none other than Quidditch players themselves. He honestly couldn't see what the big deal was, it was only just a quaffle.

"Oi, Percy!" he heard the twin's voices in unison as he entered the Great Hall for breakfast. They were, as they always were, with most of the Quidditch team. Among them was Oliver Wood who was eating his breakfast seemingly unaware that Fred and George were calling him. He reluctantly headed towards them with hopes that they had something important to tell him.

"Yes?" he inquired.

"We heard about your sudden interest in Quidditch!" said Fred. All hope was now gone.

"We've never been more proud big brother!" added George and they both stood up and surrounded Percy from both sides with a hug. He tried to pull away from them but they overpowered him, even to the point where they forced him to sit down at the table with them.

"George and I believe you're finally worthy of our company." Fred said grinning.

Percy was in no joking mood. "You congratulate me when I make a mistake, a very trivial, unworthy of notice mistake, yet you don't say a single 'congratulations' when I become a prefect?" asked Percy rhetorically.

"Normally we wouldn't care, but McGonagall took it as a good sign and she's been making a rather big deal about it. She's been happy since then, you know. She awarded five points to Gryffindor because of what you did." said George as he took a bite of a blueberry muffin.

"What? She didn't award me five points!" Percy said alarmed.

"Did it after you left, mate. She told us this Monday." Oliver said dividing his attention between Percy and his food. Percy looked at him trying to think of what to say but nothing came to his mind. He was afraid he'd give the impression that he was staring so he looked away and caught a glimpse of Penelope Clearwater. Finally, Oliver spoke again.

"So, a quaffle?" he said smiling. This time his full attention was on Percy, who felt a little self-conscious with Oliver's eyes on him.

"It…er..was just a mistake." Percy said casually masking his embarrassment.

"Do you secretly burn with the passion of being a keeper?" asked Fred.

"And does that passion take control of your whole life until you can't take it any longer that you have to satisfy your desire by turning anything you can point your wand at into a quaffle?" asked George.

"Lucky for you my dear friend, the best keeper in Hogwarts is sitting right in front of you here to satisfy your burning desire." he said. Everyone laughed. Percy was shocked that Oliver had contributed because he hardly even talked to him. Nothing gave him the right to poke fun at him like if they were the best of friends. Granted, they weren't very insulting jokes, but still.

"Percy's got a burning desire? Why don't you put it out with _water_!" Angelina added obviously referring to Penelope Clearwater. The whole group was now laughing hysterically, except for Percy. He felt utterly scandalized. Nothing was secret apparently. He assumed that his brothers only suspected of his and Penelope's relationship and hadn't hesitated to inform the school. Had they read his mail?

"Clearwater and I are not in any type of relationship. It's not right to spread such vicious rumors around school you two. And if I hear of this again I'll write you up." Percy said furiously as he got up from the table and stormed toward the exit. He couldn't remember, but he thought he might have stolen a glance at Oliver when declared that he was single.


	3. The Disease

Percy was headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts when he literally ran into Oliver Wood in the Gryffindor common room. They both apologized and Percy headed out.

"You have a lot of classes with me, right?" Oliver said behind Percy. He had followed him.

"It would appear so." Percy replied bitterly. He was beginning not to like this guy ever since the breakfast incident and it just so happened they shared most classes together. The only classes they didn't have together were Transfiguration and Arithmancy.

"You have Defense Against the Dark Arts with me, right?" Oliver asked.

"That's a correct observation…about a few weeks late."

"Sorry, I haven't paying attention to much lately. Only Quidditch on my mind. I'm the captain, you know."

"Yes, and I'm a prefect."

Oliver laughed and pretend punched him in the arm. Taken aback, Percy paused momentarily but continued walking when he realized that he was in no danger.

"You're quite funny." Oliver said. He was still chuckling.

"You're quite…" Percy was about to say "annoying" but stopped before any feelings were hurt. Oliver was apparently waiting to hear what he was but Percy never said it. Thankfully, Oliver didn't ask about it.

As they walked into Professor Quirrell's room Percy began heading toward his usual seat at the front of the class. However, he was abruptly stopped. He sighed and turned to see that Oliver had taken hold of him by the robes.

"Oliver, I do believe you've accidentally taken ahold of my robe. If you would do me the favor of letting go, please." Percy said calmly.

"Let's sit in the back." Oliver suggested.

"_You_, by all means are welcomed to sit in the back. However, _I_ will sit in the front," he said assertively and smugly added, "join me if you'd like."

He wasn't expecting Oliver to follow him but to his surprise, Oliver sat next to him. _This is going to be a long lesson_. And surely enough it was. Percy found himself absolutely bored with Quirrell because all they were doing was reviewing last year's materials. Needless to say, Percy had mastered all of those subjects. Maybe it was his need to keep busy, or maybe it was out of habit, but Percy wrote down every little detail that Quirrell would spit at them despite it being old news.

Percy put down his quill to shake out his hand. Then suddenly Oliver placed a small piece of parchment on top of his notes and pretended to have been reading the whole time. Percy sighed and picked it up. It read:

_Are you as bored as I am? _

_So, are you really, really, secretly into quidditch?_

Percy looked over at Oliver who in return gave a small, quick smile and went back to his "reading." _I need to focus. _He tore up the paper and moved it to the corner of the desk. Oliver, Percy could see from his peripheral, was offended. Oliver's smile morphed into frown that was unworthy to be on the face of such a guy, Percy thought. He felt guilty._ Merlin, I suppose I could humor the kid. _

"Oliver…" Percy whispered. He was sure that Oliver had heard him but had apparently decided to ignore him. Percy stared at the side of Oliver's face and couldn't help but notice that he had very attractive features. His facial features were masculine, yet he looked very innocent…almost cute, he supposed. Then he felt bad that he was the reason for his frowning and started to think of ways to reverse his actions. When nothing he tried worked he began to panic and attempted the last thing on his mind.

"Er…Oliver" Percy whispered and this time nudged him in the ribs. Oliver looked at him expectantly. Percy looked around for Professor Quirrell and when the coast was clear he whipped out his wand.

"_Reparo." _Percy whispered as he pointed his wand at the torn pieces of paper. The parchment put itself together. Percy grabbed the parchment and his quill and wrote:

_So bored I could kill myself. (I KNOW ALL of this!)_

_Yes, I love Quidditch so much that the mere mention of a quaffle makes me orgasm! Be warned._

He handed the note to Oliver who seemed to have forgotten that he was upset. When he read what Percy had wrote his face turned red as he tried to suppress a laugh. Percy watched his smile. There was something irresistible in the way his lips curled upwards. Something contagious. Something that Percy very much wanted to catch. As he watched the keeper smile, he too found that an enormous grin was spreading on his face. _I've caught it. _


	4. Chapter 4

Percy was pleased that he was fast becoming a relevant person in Oliver's life. They had made it a habit to write notes in Professor Quirrell's class as they both found him deadly dull. There was one drawback though. Defense Against the Dark Arts was the only class that Oliver would sit next to Percy. In all the other classes that they shared, Oliver would sit next to his "preferred" friends. When this happened, Percy couldn't resist the urge to look over to where Oliver was sitting and see if maybe, just maybe, Oliver would be looking at him too. This still hadn't happened and he was beginning to feel like a stalker.

In corridors, he would appear to be a man on a mission as he walked quickly without stopping to talk to anyone, unless that person was breaking the rules. All the while his eyes would scan for a glimpse of Oliver. He wondered which route the boy took to get to the classes which they shared. The only one Percy knew about was Defense Against the Dark Arts. But Percy knew that if he were to find out Oliver's class routes, he probably wouldn't approach him, yet for some strange reason he kept wondering what the boy did on his free time. It was getting ridiculous, or so Percy thought.

Also, his ever growing distractions during the school day meant more studying during his free time so that he wouldn't get behind. In hindsight, he was managing himself pretty well but it was still very stressful. He had managed to change the foot stool into a puppy ages ago. Professor McGonagall had handed out foot stools to everyone except for him; he had received the quaffle he had transfigured while distracted. Those who knew the story chuckled to themselves. Mrs. McGonagall wasn't trying to poke fun at him, but Percy got a bit angry. He immediately brandished his wand, pointed it at the bloody quaffle, and turned it into a bloody puppy. The class cheered.

He found that Defense Against the Dark Arts was particularly easy this year. Thinking that Professor Quirrell wasn't stimulating him intellectually, he asked him for permission to rent books out from the restricted section. Professor Quirrell agreed to it on a condition.

"I understand you're a b-b-busy b-b-boy," Professor Quirrell began, "busy but very b-b-brilliant."

"Thank you, Professor." he said.

"You see, Oliver Wood is d-d-doing horrible in my class a-a-and, he needs help f-frankly. He d-d-doesn't make an attempt to come for help. And I v-v-very much doubt that he's studying. I b-b-believe this Q-Q-Quidditch thing is getting to his head…" he said.

Percy just stood there waiting for Quirrell to finish his thought.

"Well I b-b-believe that since you're c-c-loser to him you c-c-could help him study."

"I don't really talk to him," Percy said, "but if he's willing than I'll be more than happy to help him."

"It s-s-seems that you two t-t-talk quite a lot. D-d-do you think I have-ha-haven't noticed that you pa-pass notes in class?" he said.

He thought of what Quirrell had said and understood why the professor was under the impression that they were closer than what was actually true.

"S-so you'll do it?" Professor Quirrell asked.

"I'll be happy to." he said.

"Ex-excellent, I'll let him kn-know tomorrow. You may go."

This was definitely a fortunate, fateful coincidence. He was delighted that he'd get to spend more time with Oliver but he still wasn't sure _why _he was so happy_._ There fist study session was to be on Sunday at Hogsmeade. Percy had insisted that they study in the library as there would be less distractions but Oliver proved to be stubborn.

They were both dressed in regular clothing as they entered the Three Broomsticks. Percy hadn't bothered to wear a sweater because the weather was only just starting to cool. However, Oliver had on a light sweater claiming, "I'm in Quidditch so I know the weather is unpredictable. Better to be safe than sorry, mate."

Though Percy wished they could talk leisurely, he knew that this was a job. And he wasted no time in tutoring Oliver. Percy considered himself a man of logic, putting responsibilities before personal desires. After two hours Oliver stood up and stretched.

"I'm exhausted! I'm going to get a butterbeer, want one?" Oliver said. Percy shrugged and got up to stretch too. As Oliver went to order, Percy saw that his twin brothers and Angelina had entered.

"Ay, mate!" the twin's called. Oliver turned and waved.

"Better make it 5 butterbeers." he heard Oliver say.

Percy stayed to finish his butterbeer with the lot, and even stayed for second rounds. He kept trying to take discrete glances at Oliver who had taken his sweater off making his muscles noticeable. Then the whole group got up deciding that they wanted to head back to school.

"Wanna get some extra practice before it gets too dark. You leaving too?" Fred asked Percy.

"No, I'm going down to Honeydukes and buying something for Ginny and Mum," Percy said, "and Dad. Halloween is coming up." They shrugged and walked out as a group, but Percy stayed behind.

Percy began to organize his books. Why had he brought all of _his _books? Next time he'd order Oliver to bring his so that he wouldn't be stuck carrying them. He was about to leave when he noticed that Oliver had left his sweater behind. Grabbing his books and the sweater, he hurried out.

They were already gone. He was annoyed that he'd have to carry all of it; instead he set his books down, put the sweater on, and picked his books back up. Instantly something happened in him.

He became completely lost in the scent. Everything about it screamed Oliver's name. The slight hint of cologne, freshness, and pine. It felt as though Oliver was holding him even though he was long gone. Somehow, it made him less lonely. He was alone but felt as though Oliver was there. He went to Honeydukes to buy those promised treats for his family back at the burrow and was drawn into an even deeper trance by all the sweets. All of which, reminded him of Oliver. He spent all the money he had in his pocket on sweets.

He was still enchanted by the smell when he arrived at the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was the only one in the room. She was pointing her wand at a book and saying, "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ When the book made no movement she gave a frustrated cry.

"Have you seen Oliver Wood come by?" he asked her dreamily.

"I don't think so." she said. He nodded and headed for the stairs that led to his dormitory.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!" _she said again.

"You know," Percy said turning around, "you're saying it wrong. It's Wing-_gar-_dium Levi-_o_-sa."

Hermione tried it with the new pronunciation. The book struggled to lift off the table and when it did it gave a few shakes before falling back down on the table. Hermione gave a shriek.

"We start learning about levitation tomorrow and I do want to get ahead. Thank you!" she said. With that, Percy went upstairs and into his dorm.

He let himself drop on his bed without taking the sweater off. That night, he dreamt of pines.


	5. Chapter 5

On Halloween morning Percy went out to the Owlery to send the treats he had bought for his parents and Ginny. He walked back towards the castle and took a detour to the Quidditch field to give Fred and George some sweets as well because he had bought a lot that day at Honeydukes and he was certain he wouldn't finish them all.

"George! Fred! Come down here!" Percy called to them. As they landed on the ground he tossed them each a couple strips of licorice wands a box of chocolate frogs that he pulled from a paper bag he was carrying.

"What's this for?" Fred and George asked.

"Just happened to have extra. If you see Ron, share with him." Percy said and turned around to head back to the castle. He wanted to head to the library to get the book that Professor Quirrell had agreed to let him check out of the Restricted Section. However, on his way back he ran into Oliver Wood.

"Morning." Percy said.

"Morning." Oliver said. He was carrying his broom.

"I went to Professor Quirrell's to ask him if he would give me extra time to turn in the essay but he was nowhere to be found." Oliver confessed.

"You haven't finished your essay? Oliver, why didn't you tell me? We could've worked on it at the Three Broomsticks."

"Must'a sliped my mind." Oliver said. Percy looked at him in disbelief. How can someone be so thick?

"Well, if you got time I can help you finish tonight. Here take this." Percy said reaching into his paper bag and pulling out a chocolate. Percy was horrified when the chocolate he pulled out was unmistakably a chocolate heart. A spell made the heart beat as if it was real one.

"Er…thanks," Oliver said taking the chocolate from him and read the description, "Witches and wizards known to have been in love have inspired these chocolate hearts. This edition: Helena Ravenclaw and the Baron of Slytherin. (He read an annotation on the card.) Better known as The Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"You're joking!" Percy said amazed. "What happened?" Oliver was reading on silently.

"When Helena didn't return his affections…he murdered her. And then immediately committed suicide." Oliver said grimly and looked up.

"That's a pity." Percy said. Oliver nodded and then retrieved the chocolate heart from its packet. He held it in his hand for a little bit admiring the fact that it was magically beating. Then he broke it into two pieces directly down the middle. The heart stopped beating.

"Here, you have some too." Oliver said as he handed Percy the left side of the heart. He didn't eat it though; instead, he tossed in the bag.

"I better take off." Percy said.

"Stay a bit." Oliver said grinning. Percy looked at him suspiciously. He was definitely up to something.

"And do what?" he asked a bit defensively.

"Watch us." Oliver said with fake innocence.

"Sounds like a great time but I really must be going." he said and turned to leave but Oliver grabbed his arm.

"Stay right where you are." he said and ran out to the Quidditch field. Percy watched as he mounted his broom and flew into the air calling Fred and George into a meeting. Looking straight up he could see the twins and Oliver occasionally looking down at him. They were up to no good.

"Well I'll be taking my leave!" Percy called out to them. Suddenly the three dispersed! It happened so quickly that Percy didn't know who to follow. He settled his attention on his twin brothers who had taken a dramatic nosedive and were headed straight towards him. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at them.

"_Imped-!" _

"_Expelliarmus!" _Oliver's voice came from somewhere. Percy's wand flew out of his hand before he could finish casting. _So,_ Percy thought, _the lessons are working._ Then the boys swooped down on either side of him lifting him off the ground from both arms. They raised him 20 feet into the air.

"You're in so much trouble!" cried Percy.

"Ok drop him!" he heard Oliver's voice from beneath.

"Boys, if you drop me I swear I'll- gah!" he began but was suddenly falling. This was it. He was done for. Murdered by his two brothers who were prompted by their Quidditch captain.

Percy was bracing himself for the pain of a broken bone when he landed perfectly on a broom behind someone. It was Oliver. He turned around to give Percy a quick smile.

"Hello." Oliver said before flying up higher towards the goal posts.

"What're yah doing!" Percy yelled.

"Satisfying your burning desire to be a keeper!" Oliver yelled back at him. He was chuckling to himself. Percy tightly wrapped his arms around Oliver. The team kept throwing quaffles towards them and despite having Percy clinging to him, Oliver didn't let a single one in.

Percy was somewhere else. He was lost in his own thoughts and mesmerized by the scent that radiated off of Oliver. Pine tree and the slight suggestion of cologne. He inhaled deeply every time he was sure it wasn't going to be noticeable. _Satisfying your burning desire._ Unbeknownst to Oliver, he was satisfying Percy in an entirely different way.

The physical contact was too much for Percy to handle. He wanted nothing more than stay this way forever, with his hands around Oliver, but he knew it would come to an end. He was also terrified that he would get an erection. Oliver would feel that for sure and ask questions. At the rate Percy was directing attention to the way his groin rubbed on Oliver's arse, he wasn't far off from getting hard. He took one last deep breathe before he was snapped back into reality.

"You okay, mate?" came Oliver's voice. Percy realized that his face was now buried in Oliver's back. It had been only 7 minutes since their lift off.

"I need to go." Percy said with a voice that suggested masked sorrow.

"Alright." Oliver said and they began descending. Once on the ground Percy dismounted the broom.

"Oi! But we were having so much fun!" yelled Fred.

"'Nother round brother? Maybe you'd like to ride with me and knock Bludgers at people!" George joked.

"See ya, mate." Oliver said laughing and ascended back to his teammates.

As Percy walked back to the castle couldn't believe their audacity.

"I'm a prefect." he said angrily to himself. He thought about what had just happened. They didn't mean any harm; they were just being their usual selves. But he was angry because when he was up in the air, clinging to Oliver, he had realized something. Something that he had tried to deny since the beginning of the term.

In the air the scent had been too real, and the contact left him desperate for more. No, there was no denying it now. This was more than fancying someone. This was deep, accidental love. The kind of love that kept someone awake at night and took control of his or her day.

He didn't want to be in love. It angered him and yet it was also exciting. He realized that Oliver was the boy he wanted to give everything to. His _love. _His _life._ This was the boy that Percy wanted to lose his virginity to, for he desired to make love to no one else, except with that boy.

Percy reached into the paper bag for the left side of the chocolate heart that Oliver had given him. It was broken and had begun to melt. The spell that made it throb had been broken and it no longer moved. Without warning an eerie cloud ascended over the castle making everything seem instantly gloomy. For the first time, since he had stepped on the ground, Percy was paying attention to his surroundings and could feel a slight breeze.

He sighed. _Is my heart going to survive?_


	6. Chapter 6

Winter had finally arrived bringing with it the Quidditch season. The whole school was riled up for the first game of the year: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Percy was not going because he had decided to stay in the dorm and finish work that his teachers were relentlessly assigning. Their only excuse was "O.W.L. Examinations" He was getting sick of hearing about it.

He also wasn't going to attend the match because he wanted to avoid Penelope Clearwater who had taken up the unpleasant habit harassing him whenever she saw him. She would corner him against a wall and demand that he give her a more detailed explanation on why he had so suddenly broken up with her.

"It eats away at me not knowing. Can we just talk?" she would say to him.

"Eventually." Percy would say as he moved her out of the way and made his way to class.

Percy was also going to use this time to take a look at the book that he had rented out of the Restricted Section in the library. After skimming, he was shocked to see how much Hogwarts censored the material they taught in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He took a particular interest in the powerful memory-altering spells and began to practice it on people's cats that were left in the common room.

He convinced himself that it wasn't particularly "dark magic" and that the only reason it was in the Restricted Section was because that magic was too advanced for a basic wizard education.

Despite everything seeming to happen all at once, Percy couldn't get one thing out of his mind: the newfound love he had developed for a certain Keeper. With the Quidditch season in session, Percy had found it increasingly difficult to get ahold of Oliver. Their study sessions had been reduced to only once a week and cut by a good thirty minutes.

Oliver's continued absence only made Percy want him more, yet he couldn't shake the feeling away that it would only get worse when the Quidditch season started to get serious. Oliver's mind would become dominated by Quidditch, and Percy, who had grown to like being part of Oliver's life, would soon fade away in the back of his mind with everything else that wasn't Quidditch related.

It was painfully satisfying to think of Oliver Wood. Painful, because a very daunting part of Percy's conscious was convinced that he would never have Oliver. Yet the satisfying part came from his fantasies. Almost every day now, Percy had imagined Oliver in some sort of sexual scenario that involved the two of them.

His most guilty pleasure, which he would never admit to in a million years, was masturbating while he sniffed the scent that came off the sweater that Oliver had left behind at the Three Broomsticks. He still hadn't returned it to him.

The evening after the first Quidditch match, was spent in celebration. Most of the Gryffindor house had managed to squeeze into the common room and were making a big deal about having won the first game of the season against Slytherin.

He was only there to make sure they didn't get too loud and out of control. And he wanted to observe Oliver who was too excited to notice anything besides his teammates and anyone who patted him on the back and said "good on ya."

Pretty soon most of the team, including Oliver, headed back to their beds and the two hadn't spoken a single word to each other.

Percy went back to his dormitory to lie on his bed. He thought about his trunk that laid underneath his bed. Oliver's sweater, which he had never returned, was hidden safely inside. As he drifted off to sleep he set a goal for himself that he would get some sort of interaction with Oliver tomorrow. They hadn't had a full conversation in a while and he was going mad.

The next morning he got up quite early. It was cold, and the whole castle was still asleep. _Perfect, _he thought as he hatched an idea to get Oliver alone. He got dressed quickly and went to knock on Oliver's door.

Oliver opened his door looking confused and tired. His eyes were half closed and his hair was cow-licked on the left side of this head.

"Percy?" Oliver asked.

"Accio broom." Percy whispered as he pointed his wand inside Oliver's dormitory. A broomstick came flying through the air landing perfectly in Percy's hand.

"What're yah doing?" Oliver asked confused.

"Teach me how to be a keeper again?" Percy asked. Suddenly, he blushed. He hadn't realized how stupid that sounded! _What an awful idea, _he thought_, he's going to realize that—_

"Well if you're that desperate, definitely mate." Oliver said with a smile that became permanently photographed in Percy's heart. It was so genuine. So friendly. And inviting. Vaguely familiar…..but most of all, it was irresistible.

They walked down to the Quidditch field quickly because it was a school day and they wanted to get a least an hour in of "playtime." To Percy's displeasure, Oliver had gotten a second broom so that they could fly individually.

They were in the castle's courtyard when they ran into Marcus Flint and a Slytherin girl sitting on a stone bench snogging quite aggressively.

"A bit early don't you think?" Percy said as they approached them. The couple stood up rather startled but when they saw that it was the two Gryffindor students their body language became more defensive.

"No need to ask where you're going." Marcus snapped.

"Why is that?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"It's easy, both of you are missing something and you're going out to look for it."

"What exactly are we missing?"

"Well, Termite Food you're missing a Quidditch team with any talent and everyone knows this redheaded weasel is missing money." Marcus said with fire in his voice. The Slytherin girl gave an exaggerated laugh.

"Is that why Slytherin lost the first match to Gryffindor? Because we're a bunch of talentless blokes, right?" Oliver retorted.

It got very tense. The Slytherin girl had stopped laughing and Percy, who was just waiting for the situation to end realized that it might turn into something worse. Both Quidditch captains were staring dangerously into the other's eyes not daring to blink.

Percy made eye contact with the Slytherin girl who gave him a dirty look, but then shrugged.

"Marcus, I'm cold. Let's go back to the common room and keep warm." she said placing a hand on his arm. Marcus grunted and then walked past Oliver.

Percy let out a huge sigh of relief, for a second there he had thought things were going to escalate. They both had their backs facing the two Slytherins and were about to begin walking to the Quidditch field when Oliver was sent hurtling forward by a spell.

.

"Oliver!" Percy shouted while immediately retrieving his wand from his robes. Oliver got up quickly and pushed Percy out of the way aggressively.

"OLIVER NO!" Percy yelled. Oliver who had been ready to cast a spell was distracted by Percy's cries. He turned to look at him. Then:

"_PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" _came Flint's voice. The spell hit Oliver and he froze where he stood. That moment of distraction had left Oliver vulnerable to attack.

Thinking quick Percy took action.

"_PROTEGO!" _and an invisible shield manifested itself around Oliver just as Flint yelled, "_STUPEFY!" _The spell bounced off the shield. Percy was now standing next the immobilized Oliver.

"_LEVICORPUS!" _shouted Percy but Flint countered it with, "_STUPEFY!"_ The spells collided in midair creating sparks that bounced off each other and ricocheted off of any possible surface.

"AHHH!" shrieked the Slytherin girl who had almost been hit by an unknown spell that had made a small hole in a nearby wall. She took shelter behind a statue.

Percy gritted his teeth. How he could stop him? Then he noticed a courtyard bench that Flint had been sitting on.

"_WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" _shouted Percy. The bench shot up into the air quickly and waited for orders.

"REPULSO!" with that, the bench hurled away from Percy at a tremendous speed and hit Marcus right on the head, knocking him out cold.

Breathing hard, he casted the spell that allowed Oliver control of his body again. They both stood there staring at each other trying to catch their breathes.

"Come out here!" Percy yelled to the Slytherin girl. She walked out with her wand raised at the both of them.

"Expelliarmus." Percy said effortlessly and her wand flew out of her hand.

"Listen, help us take his body back to Madame Pomfrey. You're going to tell her that he was practicing Quidditch and he fell out of his broom? If anyone finds out what happened here both will be suspended from playing Quidditch and do you think Marcus would be happy with that? No one will know about this, do you understand?"

When she didn't respond Percy asked again more strongly.

"Do you understand?"

The girl nodded her head. Percy made a gesture that gave her permission to pick her wand up.

"Bastard—attacked me unexpectedly." Oliver finally said.

"He's—in a lot of trouble—attacking a prefect…" Percy said angrily. Then Oliver threw his hands around him. He stood there not knowing what to do as it was unexpected. Then he hugged him back. Percy didn't know how long they had stayed like that but it couldn't have been long.

"I owe you one, mate." Oliver said happily as they separated. Percy just smiled and stared at his mouth. He contemplated kissing him. He took a step forward and then retreated. Oliver thought he was going in for another hug because he gave him another quick embrace.

The three students now were carrying Marcus's limp body to the Hospital Wing. The Slytherin girl who was in charge of lifting Marcus's feet wouldn't look at them. She obviously didn't enjoy their company in the slightest and made no attempt to hide it.

However, Percy wasn't paying attention to the girl's rude facial expressions. He was thinking of how much he loved Oliver and how he couldn't even tell him. Percy looked over at Oliver; he was so oblivious to the fact that he was completely in love with him that it was almost silly.

"I love you…."Percy said absentmindedly.

"What was that?" Oliver asked looking at him. He was carrying Marcus's left arm.

"I didn't say anything." he said quickly. Oliver shrugged and looked away.

_Close one,_ he thought.

Thanks for being patient for this chapter.

The next one should be up soon.

-NCW


	7. Chapter 7

Hogwarts was getting ready for the Christmas holidays. Snow had settled throughout the grounds and an inescapable coldness had penetrated the castle. Most of his professors attempted to warm their classrooms, except Professor Snape who seemed to enjoy watching the student's hands go numb due to the cold.

Teachers were giving last minute assignments and students were reluctantly finishing them. For Percy, his life seemed to be improving. Oliver, who was ever thankful that Percy had helped him defeat Marcus Flint was definitely closer to Percy.

"I had no idea you were such enjoyable company." Oliver would tell Percy from time to time as this was their first year to consider themselves friends. This usually happened during their tutoring sessions that had now turned into more than just studying.

If they studied in Hogsmeade they would usually hang out for a while in the Three Broomsticks drinking butterbeer or visit the Shrieking Shack and dare each other to go inside.

If studying at Hogwarts, they would sit by the lake and skip rocks, at times they would pretend they were going to throw the other one in the water. For the first time in his life, Percy was glad to say that he had not only fallen in love but found a friend.

He couldn't act on his feelings because he had no clue if Oliver felt the same way about him, or if he was even attracted to men. There were times where he believed that they were flirting, but when he reflected on the events in private it was obvious that he was only making himself believe that.

For the most part, Oliver remained a mystery to him surrounded by a provocative mist that fed his desire to solve the mystery that was Oliver Wood.

But his fear of losing Oliver was greater than the desire to be more than friends. So he didn't say a word about his feelings.

In Percy's life outside of Oliver, things were rather dynamic. The book in the restricted section that Professor Quirrell had promised to lend to him if he tutored Oliver was doing wonders for him. He had learned, though he hadn't quite gotten the hang of, many advanced spells.

Of course he couldn't publically practice them as they were considered inappropriate for students, but he found that he was most fascinated by memory altering spells.

Furthermore, Penelope Clearwater, after weeks of harassment, had finally managed to get what she wanted: a talk with Percy.

"We need to talk." she said to him two days before the end of the term. Percy pretended not to hear and kept walking but she grabbed ahold of his arm.

"I just don't understand what I did wrong." Penelope said to him.

"I can't talk now, I've got to meet someone." he said. And indeed he was, he was supposed to have his last tutoring session with Oliver and he had planned to give him a special present.

It wasn't really special, he was just returning his sweater but in Percy's fantasy's he imagined that it would be romantic.

He moved passed her and was walking away when—

"Percy, please talk to me." came Penelope's voice. Percy turned around to look at her. Her eyes were pleading. It was then that he felt guilty. Had Penelope fallen in love with him? Could she have the same feelings for him that he felt for Oliver?

"Tomorrow." Percy said reluctantly, but he had to give her some closure.

"Where?" she asked.

"The Prefect's restroom. First thing tomorrow morning." he said and took off without another word. He chose that place because he wanted somewhere private to talk. If things went well, maybe he would tell her the truth. That there was no possible way they could be together because he was—

Well, that's if it all goes well.

After fetching Oliver's sweater from his dorm and his books, he was now walking up to the lake where he could see Oliver sitting on a large rock. The lake was frozen solid and the temperature was freezing. But simply having Oliver in his line of vision was enough to warm him up.

"Is that my sweater you got there?" asked Oliver as Percy walked up.

"Merry Christmas." Percy said smiling and tossed it to him. Oliver quickly threw it on. He was already wearing one, but had decided it wasn't enough.

"I thought I'd lost it. How'd you get ahold of it?"

"I've had it for ages but forgot to return it to you." Percy lied. He really didn't want to return it at all.

"Thanks mate."

They began the laborious task of studying but stopped after only thirty minutes because it was clear that neither of them wanted to continue.

"I don't want to do this anymore. It's bloody cold." Oliver said.

"Fine." Percy said and shut the book closed. They were sitting on the rock side by side facing the lake.

"Oliver…" Percy began.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"What would you have done—if, er, I hadn't beaten Marcus Flint in a duel and I was the one who ended up in the hospital wing?"

"First of all, I'd get revenge twice as hard for hurting you and because that bastard came at us without warning. And then after that, I suppose I'd go wait 'till you gain consciousness and tell you all about how I kicked his arse." he said smiling.

"Would you have taken some chocolate frogs for me?"

Oliver chuckled. "Well if that's what you like, mate. Then sure."

Percy scooted closer to Oliver so that their arms, thighs, and dangling legs where touching.

"You're getting clingy." Oliver joked.

"It's cold." Percy simply said.

"Fair enough." Oliver said as a cold breeze slapped his face.

"What're you doing during break?" Oliver asked him.

"Staying at Hogwarts. My mum and dad are going over to Romania to visit my brother Charlie. What about you?"

"Playing a lot of Quidditch."

"I should've guessed." Percy laughed. This felt so right. Just the two of them. He took a deep breathe to catch the smell of pines that was ever present in Oliver.

"Have fun all by yourself." Oliver said.

_Yourself. _Percy's eyes grew wide. He was going to be spending an entire Christmas break _alone. _Without Oliver. How could he manage? For him, sleeping was an eternity because he couldn't see Oliver until the morning.

"Let's head back to the castle. I want to get something warm from the Great Hall." Oliver said as he jumped down from the rock.

Panic and urgency began form in Percy's heart. He couldn't imagine not seeing him. Every moment not spent with Oliver was a wasted second that filled Percy with anxiety.

Oliver took a step to walk away and Percy jumped down.

"Wait." he said and reached frantically towards him. Oliver, who was caught by surprise at Percy's urgency, tried to avoid his grasp and slipped.

"Help me up, mate." he said laughing. He was holding up a hand for Percy to take.

Percy looked down at Oliver and couldn't help but liken him to an angel. He was perfect. The way the snow reflected the morning sun all around Oliver made it seem like this glow, this awesome aura of light was being caused by the angelic boy on the ground.

It was now or never. He had to tell him that he loved him…

"I'll do it myself then." Oliver said and tried to get up but Percy dropped to his knees beside him and placed both hands on his chest.

"What're you doing?" Oliver asked. Percy pushed him towards the ground and then after a moment's hesitation, climbed on top him. Percy was now on his knees and Oliver was in between his legs. Their groins brushing dangerously against each other.

This was the moment that Percy had dreamed of since the day he had realized that he was in love with the boy whom he was pinning to the ground.

He looked at Oliver's inviting, soft lips which he had lusted after for months. His hands turned white as they aggressively grasped his sweater in an attempt to lift him up so that the keeper's lips met his own quivering ones.

He could now feel Oliver's breathe against his face. He could smell it. Mint. He closed his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. In a matter of seconds the coldness his lip felt would disappear and be replaced by warmth.

Their lips were just about to touch when Percy felt himself flying backwards. He hit the rock which they had been sitting on and slid down towards the ground landing in a sitting position.

"ARE YOU MAD? WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Oliver yelled and stood up. He was outraged.

"Oliver I didn't—I—I—it's nothing, please!" Percy said standing up.

"I'M NOT BLOODY GAY."

"I know you're not! I—me neither! Please, let me explain!" Percy said panicking. He placed a hand on Oliver's arm who shook him off furiously and stormed off back towards the castle.

Percy's heart dropped to the ground at 1000 miles per minute that it knocked him to his knees. Both hands on the ground now to keep himself from collapsing completely. His breathing became difficult.

Tears streamed from his eyes, down his cheeks, and onto the snowy ground. His cheeks stung as the warmth that the tears left behind was overcome by coldness.

He watched Oliver who was now a good distance off walk away. Watched as the boy who he had fallen in love with was leaving him alone in the cold and taking his warmth with him.


	8. Chapter 8

_Percy sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. It was the last day of school before winter break and he was one of the only of the few people seated at breakfast. Although, it was rather early, but he was hopeful that the Great Hall would remain empty._

_ He hadn't slept at all because he was certain that if he were to drift off into a dream that it would be haunted by the events of what happened the day before. He ran it through his head for the millionth time:_

_His impulsive action and desire to kiss Oliver._

_Oliver's blunt and harsh rejection._

_ The pain of watching Oliver walk away from him remained strong. Even the cold that took ahold of him remained; he had stayed crying on the ground for a few hours and a thick layer of snow had settled on his back. It was only until the sun was lazily setting behind the snow covered landscape that he decided to head back to the castle._

_ Walking back towards the castle was just as painful. He had no idea of the actions that Oliver had taken in his burst of rage. Had he told the entire castle? Would people know? And, the question that tortured him most of all, how would his family react?_

_ As he sat in the Great Hall asking himself these questions, not touching his breakfast, he had failed to realize that the room was getting full the way it usually did. He kept glancing at the door to see if Oliver Wood or any of his family would walk in._

_ Then, Fred and George walked in, and behind them were Ron, Hermione, and Harry. They were all looking grim. Or…was that just Percy's paranoid imagination?_

_ "Morning." Percy said as normal as he possibly could when they reached him and sat down around him._

_ Fred hesitated. "Morning…brother." _

_ Percy took the first bite out of his toast. _

_ Ron wouldn't look at him. _

_ Hermione fidgeted awkwardly. _

_ "You guys…are…awfully quiet." Percy said trying to sound normal. His worst fears were quickly coming true._

_ "What's wrong—with you lot?" Percy said when no one answered. Silence._

_ "Fred…(I'm George)—right. George tell me right now."_

_ "Well, people are saying really…awful things about you." Hermione said when George didn't answer._

_ The color was drained from his face. "Like what?" he mumbled._

_ "They're saying…" Hermione was about to speak when a loud noise interrupted her sentence. The owls delivering mail had arrived and within a matter of seconds the Great Hall was a swallowed up by the noise of flapping wings and screeches._

_ An envelope dropped in front of Percy. It was a Howler._

_ "What on Earth?" Percy said incredulously. _

_ "It's a Howler from Mum and Dad!" he said holding it up for them to see. They didn't seem surprised. _

_ "Well what did you expect Mum to send you, cookies?" Fred asked sarcastically._

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "PERCY IGNATIOUS WEASLEY!" came Mrs. Weasley's thundering voice. The entire Great Hall were now focused on the Howler and were even more intrigued at the fact that such a model student like Percy would receive a Howler._

_ "NEVER DID I THINK—IN A MILLION YEARS THAT I WOULD HAVE TO SEND A HOWLER TO YOU! MY BOY THE PREFECT. _

_"LISTEN TO ME PERCY. LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER. _

_YOU. ARE. NOT. GAY." There seemed to be an extremely loud and lingering echo at the word 'gay.'_

_ "YOU BETTER REALIZE THAT BEFORE YOU COME BACK HOME IN THE SUMMER. GOODBYE." And the letter was over._

_ "Gay?"_

_ "I knew it!"_

_The entire Great Hall was now riled up about the scandal. He looked around. He was now surrounded by a sea of scrutinizing eyes. But among them…a particular pair of brown eyes stood out. _

_It was Oliver Wood…they held eye contact for a few seconds. Oliver shook his head disapprovingly at him and mouthed the word "gay." _

"_NO!...NO!... SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!" He began to cry uncontrollably…he closed his eyes and rammed his hands against his ears to shut out the noise. _

It was then, that a sweaty and out of breathe Percy woke up from the terrible nightmare he had just experienced. Though it had been dream, there were some things had happened for real: his eyes were wet with tears and his hands were cover his ears.

He looked around his surroundings…it wasn't his dormitory. It was the Gryffindor coon room. Then he remembered that in his restlessness he had wandered down to the common room in the middle of the night. He must have fallen asleep then.

Through the window, Percy could see that the sun was just barely beginning to rise. The sight of the sunrise made him cry harder. He longed for summer…maybe then the coldness that had hijacked his body would disappear.

"Penelope." he said, suddenly remembering that he had promised her that they would meet in the prefect's restroom early in the morning.

He attempted to collect himself before heading out but to no avail. When he had stepped through the portrait hole a fresh batch of tears rushed down his face.

His teeth began to grind. _I don't want to cry,_ he thought, _I don't want it to hurt._ As much as he wanted it to stop hurting, this pain was like an itch: he had to scratch it to soothe it. But like all itches, the more he scratched, the more irritated it became. And so once again, began Percy's memory of the events that had happened the day before.

"ARGH!" he yelled and began to ran when the thought of Oliver walking away created a new wound in his heart.

Percy didn't stop running until he reached the prefect's restroom.

He entered the prefect's restroom sweating, crying, and out of breathe. He would desperately inhale for air but couldn't because his sobs were making it hard. His clothes, the ones he had worn yesterday too, were wrinkled and drenched in sweat.

For a small amount of time, Percy cried in a corner of the restroom until he was able to control the tears. They weren't rushing out but he knew that the wrong memory would set them off again. He made his way over the sink and splashed his face with water so that it wouldn't be so obvious he had been crying.

He fixed his hair too because it was cow-licked having slept on his left side on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room. Percy examined himself in the mirror. His face and hair were too wet. He got out his wand and performed a spell on himself. Instantly he was dried.

Perfect. He didn't look out of breathe or frantic, but he didn't like that his eyes were still red and that his clothes were conspicuously wrinkled. But he trusted that Penelope wouldn't be able to notice that he was hurting…although the pain was still there.

A few minutes past before he heard the door to the restroom and, sure enough, Penelope Clearwater walks in.

He turned to look at her and she returned the gaze.

Percy cleared his throat and walked up to her. "Penelope."

"Good morning." She reached out for a handshake but Percy went in for a hug.

"Sorry." they both laughed embarrassed. This was turning out to be another nightmare.

"Listen…" she began, "the reason why I've been behaving the way I have is because…I think I deserve an explanation."

"That's quite understandable."

"Please. Explain."

Where to begin? He opened his mouth to say something but then changed his mind. This was difficult.

He looked at Penelope who was staring at him expectantly. His forehead began to sweat…he couldn't think straight. Not at this moment.

"P—Penelope," Percy began crying, "the reason—I ended our relationship…is because I—I'm in lo—I…" he couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her that he was in love with Oliver Wood.

Not when her eyes showed as much pain as his did. It was then that he understood. Penelope had fallen in love with him the way he had for Oliver Wood. He had rejected her just as Oliver had rejected him.

"Penelope—I'm terribly sorry…I love you. I –really do." he said. Percy did indeed love Penelope, but it wasn't the type of love he felt for Oliver. However, Penelope thought it was exactly this.

She began crying too and she threw her arms around Percy.

"I love you too." she said through tears. The two embraced for a long time.

Suddenly, Penelope began kissing him passionately on the lips. He felt as her tongue slipped through his lips and into his mouth.

He tried pushing away but he was afraid of offending her.

"What's wrong?" Penelope asked. Percy looked into her eyes. All traces of sorrow were now gone and replaced with hope.

Who was he to take that happiness away from her? Who was he to make another person suffer the way he had….?

"Nothing…" he said reluctantly and began kissing her back. He wasn't going to be responsible for a broken heart.

Penelope, although a very good kisser, was not satisfying Percy. The smell of her breathe was not minty like Oliver's was. Her body smelled like vanilla…sweet, but he longed to smell pines. He longed to smell Oliver.

Percy disappeared into his mind with Oliver, leaving his body on auto pilot.

"_What are you doing, Percy?" asked Oliver in his mind._

Before he could answer he became aware of his body again. His shirt was off and Penelope's exposed breasts were pressed against his bare chest.

He quickly went back to Oliver.

"_I don't know Oliver…" he said in his head. _

Back into reality again, his eyes were filled with tears. He had Penelope pressed against the wall. His penis had now penetrated her vagina. She was whimpering in pain…or perhaps pleasure.

Percy shut his eyes. He was desperately searching for Oliver.

"_You're a monster…you're vile and filth on the inside Percy. How could you do this?" Oliver said in Percy's head._

"_I'm sorry…" Percy responded._

_Oliver shook his head in disapproval the way he had done in his dream and began walking away. _

"_Come back!" Percy cried._

Fully conscious now, he realized that he and Penelope laid naked on the floor. Their fingers intertwined. Her head resting on his chest.

He got up and threw his clothes on quickly and began to walk out of the restroom.

"Where are you going?" Penelope asked.

"People will get suspicious." and he walked out.

When the door to the prefect's restroom closed behind him he sprinted to the Gryffindor common room. His sobs were now very audible and violent and he alarmed a few people when he rushed through the portrait hole crying and ran up to his dormitory. Thankfully, no one who knew him was there.

He sat on his bed looking out of a window at the frozen landscape. A gentle snow was falling. He couldn't help notice how white and pure the snow was. And he…he was vile and filthy. He was laying down now. His eyes closed and they didn't open for a very long time.


End file.
